Fender Squier Tele Custom Review

The Fender Squier Tele Custom guitar was designed to have a limited run on open markets. Most musicians familiarize themselves with standards of each big line of instruments, like Fenders and their single coil pickups or Gibson and their humbuckers, but the Squier Tele Custom blatantly breaks the rules and migrates away from the standards. Let's take a closer look to see just what this hybrid guitar has to offer.

Features: The body of the Fender Squier Tele Custom is made from Agathis wood, which is more or less the standard for most Squier series instruments. What makes the body unique, however, is its finish. Both the wood and pickguard are midnight black. You can tell it's a Telecaster from the shape, but otherwise, it's indistinguishable. The neck is bolted onto the body and is made of maple; as is its fretboard, which has twenty two medium jumbo frets and black dot inlays . The light wood on the neck is certainly an aesthetically interesting contrast from the dark body. All of the hardware on the Squier Tele Custom is made of chrome, which includes the pickup covers, (that's right, pickup covers on a Telecaster-told you it was weird) the bridge, and the tuning heads. Electronically, the Tele Custom has two humbuckers. So, sonically, it's not really a Telecaster at all. There is a three way selector switch on the body, and each pickup has its own tone and volume control knobs. Basically, it's set up exactly like a Gibson guitar electronically, even though it's a Fender Squier.

Playability: Though many things about the Squier Tele Custom may be different, the playability remains the same. There are a few problems with staying in tune, but it's nothing that can't be taken care of with a little tender love and care. Also, you may need to adjust the saddles on the bridge to correct minute intonation details. But otherwise, it plays solidly with a speedy neck, good bodily design for fret access, and nice string action.

Sound: This is where the Squier Tele Custom reveals itself as something other than a Telecaster. Whereas you would normally expect a thin, twang filled sound that suits country and blues well, you're going to find that it sounds very deep. Most users agree, however, that it is a decent sound for a low end pickup design that certainly isn't Fender Squier's specialty.

Overall: If you're looking for a unique instrument that looks and sounds different from most other guitars on the market, be sure to take a good look at the Fender Squier Tele Custom. It is a mash up of some of the more popular features and designs of guitars across all scopes and brand names. You can find the Tele Custom in music stores for about $230.